PHP Manual: Generate a random integer

Description

int rand ( void )

int rand ( int $min , int $max )

If called without the optional min, max arguments rand returns a pseudo-random integer between 0 and getrandmax. If you want a random number between 5 and 15 (inclusive), for example, use rand(5, 15).

Note: On some platforms (such as Windows), getrandmax is only 32767. If you require a range larger than 32767, specifying min and max will allow you to create a range larger than this, or consider using mt_rand instead.

Parameters

min: The lowest value to return (default: 0)
max: The highest value to return (default: getrandmax)

Return Values

A pseudo random value between min (or 0) and max (or getrandmax, inclusive).

Changelog

Version	Description
4.2.0	The random number generator is seeded automatically.

Examples

Example #1 rand example


<?php
echo rand() . "\n";
echo rand() . "\n";

echo rand(5, 15);
?>

The above example will output something similar to:

7771
22264
11

Notes

Caution

This function does not generate cryptographically secure values, and should not be used for cryptographic purposes. If you need a cryptographically secure value, consider using openssl_random_pseudo_bytes instead.

rand